Encore Performances
by Fellgrave
Summary: A bit of curiosity can be a dangerous thing. More than that, it can be a driving force of change. And sometimes a small change can lead to so much more. Inspired by Trahern's KP story Between Bouts. Currently a one-shot.
1. Stoking the Coals

Casper High. Crewed by a motley assortment of somewhat decent teachers and filled with all manner of beings malicious and benign. As a nerd once said, before he was rather rudely shoved into a garbage can, there has never been a more depressing hive of dumb and misery than Casper High.

"Think fast Fen-tony!"

Danny Fenton had a moment to blink away his thoughts before he doubled over as a football lodged itself in his gut. Dash and his partner in crime Qwan congratulated each other with high fives and roughly bumped up against Danny as they walked past and retrieved their ball. He sighed at the jock's antics and turned to open up his locker. It was times like these that made him wish he didn't care enough to just cut loose with his powers and damn the consequences.

Tucker walked up and leaned against the lockers next to Danny's as he gave his friend a pitying look. "What's got Dash on the warpath? Doesn't he normally wait until second period to start busting out his balls? Footballs that is."

Danny couldn't even bring himself to smile at Tucker's joke as he rubbed at his stomach. "I think he's still kinda upset over the fact we ruined Ember's concert and got us all grounded and stuck with cram sessions for nothing. I know Jazz is pretty upset with me, at least. Plus everyone was forced to listen to your singing."

"Oh please," Sam said as she came around and smacked Tucker lightly on the shoulder. "You say that like he needs an excuse. He's had it out for you since day one and nothing is going to change that."

"I can hope, can't I?" Danny remarked bitterly as he grabbed the last of his book for his next couple of classes out of his locker. "Can we change the topic please? I don't like talking about Dash at the best times, which if you haven't noticed, is not now." The locker door rattled loudly as Danny closed it with more force than was necessary while Sam and Tucker exchanged looks, the technophile taking the initiative.

"Geeze Danny, what's got you ticked off?"

Danny sighed and leaned against his locker tiredly. "Sorry guys, it's just I saved everyone's butts, and all I get for it is an extended grounding for sneaking out without permission, extra bullying at school because Dash is getting forced to actually study, and I think Ember got out already!"

Sam and Tucker exchanged shocked looks. "What?"

Danny shrugged. "I'm not sure if it was her or not. The portal was open this morning and I did a quick check and most of the other ghosts are still on the other side. I would have thought she'd have gone straight for me once she got out, but who knows what a ghost's thinking."

Tucker chuckled at Danny's attempt to lighten things up. "Well, Dash being Dash isn't anything you can fix, but maybe you can find Ember after school."

"Can't," Danny said with a raised eyebrow. "I'm grounded, remember? And besides, I don't even know if she's still in Amity Park."

"Well," Sam began as she grabbed Danny by his shoulder, Tucker taking the other," what's the harm in doing a quick fly through of the places she might haunt? At least thinking about where she could be hiding might get this lame music out my head."

"Hey," Tucker interjected, "I for one didn't mind the music, at least compared to your tastes, Ms. Suicide Metal."

"It's Death Metal, and don't knock the Suicide Kings. Besides, anything is better than your usual autotuned synth-crap."

"Electronica is a perfectly acceptable taste in music, I'll have you know. What about you Danny?"

"I actually didn't mind Ember's other songs actually." Danny took a couple more steps before he realized his friends had come to a sudden halt. "What?"

Tucker and Sam exchanged looks. "Nothing," Sam said. "We're just a little surprised. I would have thought you'd be more into Tucker's stuff to be honest."

"Nah, give me some rock'n'roll any day. She reminds of Joan Jett a bit, yaknow?" Tucker and and Sam stared at Danny blankly. "Joan Jett. As in, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts." Danny gave his friends incredulous looks. "Seriously, she's a legend, like Dire Straits. Kansas? The Eagles? Foreigner? None of those sound familiar?" He slapped his hand onto his forehead and dragged it down. "What about Collective Soul? Nirvana? Anything?"

"Sorry man." Tucker shrugged. "No offense, but some of those sound kinda like bands my dad used to listen to."

"They probably are. Great, my tastes are more out of date than Lancer's references." Danny shook his head and started walking again. Sam and Tucker quickly fell into step with him.

"Where did you start listening to them anyway?" Sam asked.

"Fenton family road trips. It was either listening to Dad's mixtapes or his latest theory on the biochemical composition of ectoplasm." Danny grabbed his seat and tossed his books onto his desk. Tucker slid onto his own seat beside Danny. "No brainer really. The rest I picked up here and there cuz they sounded pretty cool."

"Dang man. Maybe I can lend you a few of my CDs and you can try and get used to them?" Sam cuffed Tucker on the back of his head as she passed him and took her own seat.

Sam gave Danny a pointed stare. "I think it's great that you have such unusual taste in music. It's better than the commercial boyband stuff of some people I could name," she muttered as Paulina passed the trio, her voice just loud enough for Danny and Tucker to hear it.

Mr. Lancer walked in and the class quieted immediately. "Good to see you all here and we'll rested. I'm sure many of you were looking forward to another wonderful day of cramming, but I'm sure you'll be disappointed to know that the school only rented the Cramtsastic Mark V and has been forced to return it."

The class, sans Tucker as he mourned the loss of his tech crush, cheered loudly. Mr. Lancer waited a few moments before clearing his throat. When it failed to get any attention he reached down and grabbed a large textbook. He slammed it down on his desk, the sound cutting off the cheers.

"This means we have to do things the old fashioned way." Mr. Lancer smiled at his students' groans. "Open your books to page 137 and we'll continue where I left off."

Danny propped open his textbook and dropped his head onto the desk. Hopefully he could catch a few zees before class was over. It wasn't like there was any big test coming up or anything.

The moon was full and bright as the light finally flicked off in the hallway outside Danny's bedroom door. He waited a few more minutes before tossing off the covers and opening up his window. Eyeing the gap under his door carefully, he reached under his bed and pulled out a pair of extra pillows and a black wig.

With a softly muttered, "Going Ghost," he floated through window and started his search.

He checked Booky's first, no surprise it was empty, and as he left it he grinned as he saw all the Ember displays sticking out of the dumpsters. A quick fly through of all the other music stores produced much the same results, as did his checking of Guitar World. Which left the Amity Park Arena for last.

Phasing through the wall and into the stadium, Danny wasn't too surprised to find it stripped bare and himself alone. Ember's concert had been a couple of days ago, and they weren't expecting the next group, a rock band called the Nearly Deads -of course that had to be their name- for another two weeks.

A quick search revealed nothing new, except maybe the fact that the night watchman had rather... unique tastes in entertainment that Danny could have gone his whole life happily without seeing. His afterlife too. And an eternity in oblivion or whatever there was after the afterlife.

Danny had quickly fled the security room and found himself on the main stage. He wasn't too surprised to find the instruments from the concert still there. The Arena was probably still expecting someone from Ember's tour to come around for them at some point. He spotted Ember's guitar lying on the ground and in a moment of curiosity he walked over and bent down to pick it up.

The hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end. His eyes narrowed, Danny spun around and swept his gaze across the empty stadium seats. He held his gaze until a breeze blew past and swirled a stray piece of paper across the stage.

Shrugging to himself, he bent down and picked Ember's guitar before phasing through the curtains separating the back and main stage. A pile of picks were lying strewn over the floor, and he grabbed one before floating over and taking a seat on the edge of the stage. A part of him was still weirded out by the ghost stuff, but it was pretty fun.

"Now how does this work..." Danny muttered as he considered the dials on the bottom of the guitar. The one set he'd seen Ember adjust for her attacks he swung over to the right until it was pointing to the musical note, the symbol he was guessing it had been facing before she'd gone after Lancer, before strumming a few notes. Nope, no ghostly effect. Perfect.

He sighed and looked out on the empty mosh pit, picturing the cheering and ecstatic faces of the crowd filling it. He could see the appeal it had, and could guess at why Ember had decided to use it as her method of choice for taking over the world. He'd always dreamt of being an astronaut, but being a rock star was his plan B. Not that he'd ever admit it.

Danny looked down at the guitar in his hands. Ember was probably out of town by now, and he didn't have anything else to do...

His fingers started moving on their own accord and it took him a few seconds to notice. He smiled and let himself be carried away by the music. All alone on stage with a guitar? Might as well make the most of it. He switched fingering as the perfect song came to him. He closed his eyes as he began to sing, his voice barely louder than the guitar.

 _"Standing in the rain, with his head hung low_  
 _Couldn't get a ticket, it was a sold out show._

 _Heard the roar of the crowds, he could picture the scene,_  
 _Put his head to the wall, then like a distant scream,"_

Danny grinned and reared his head back as he jumped to his feet. In his mind he imagined the stadium was as full as it was when he fought Ember, except this time they were cheering for him. It was a surprisingly enjoyable thought.

 _"He heard one guitar! Just blew him away!_  
 _He saw stars in his eyes, and the very next day_

 _He bought a beat up six string, in a secondhand store_  
 _Didn't know how to play it, but he knew for sure_

 _That one guitar, felt good in his hands_  
 _Didn't take long, to understand_

 _Just one guitar, slung way down low_  
 _Was one way ticket, only one way to go..."_

Danny opened his eyes and let the music trail off as he stared ahead blankly. He was tempted to go on, but something just didn't feel right about it. It was almost a shame there was no one around to hear him.

"Why'd ya stop? I was actually enjoying that."

Danny froze in shock, his head turning woodenly to see Ember sitting balanced on the light rack with her head cocked to the side.

One hand slid down behind Ember's guitar and began to glow as Danny charged up a energy blast. She'd already given up the advantage of surprise, and Danny did have her guitar, but he didn't have the Fenton Thermos or any backup. It wasn't the worst odds, but he still didn't favour his chances of coming out on top if it came down to a fight. Might as well try diplomacy first.

"I don't suppose if asked nicely you'll let me take you back to the Ghost Zone without a fight, would you?"

Ember shrugged and started kicking her feet back and forth through the air. "Sounds fine to me. But you better not stick with me with that loser Klemper this time. Again though, why'd ya stop?"

"Alright let's..." Danny paused halfway through raising his arm as what Ember said actually registered. "Wait, what?"

"I said I'd go with you. Seriously, keep up dipstick. Now you gonna answer my question or what?"

"I don't know, it felt like as good a point to stop as any. What are you doing out anyway?

"I needed to talk to my manager and 'explain' things before he thought I did a runner. Course I forgot to grab my guitar on the way out..."

"Oh." Danny blinked. He glanced at the guitar and shrugged before taking off the strap and tossing it to Ember. She almost dropped it in surprise.

Ember looked at Danny then her guitar and back again. "Okay, not that I'm complaining, but the hell? Why'd ya give it back?"

"It's yours isn't it?" Danny shrugged. "It's not like I need it."

"You do know this is a weapon, right?"

"You want to fight me?"

Ember opened her mouth only to pause. She closed it after a moment and cocked her head to the side. "No. I don't think I do," she said, her voice underlaid with surprise.

Danny sat down on the edge of the stage and patted the floor next to him. "Then there's no problem, is there."

"Thanks." Ember grinned as she floated down to Danny. She spent a moment checking the tightness of her guitar's strings before turning and grinning at Danny. "I wasn't kidding, you know, about enjoying the show?"

"Really?" Danny scratched the back of his and gave a few embarrassed chuckles. "I'm not that good. It's more a hobby than anything else."

"Oi, Babypop. I say you're good, you're good, much as it pains me to admit it." Ember glared at him until he nodded. Grinning to herself, Ember turned back to her guitar and began to play. After a moment she looked up and gave Danny a considering glance. "Hey, listen, so long as I don't go round causing you trouble, you won't mind if I use that portal of yours, will you?"

"Depends, what are you going to be doing?"

"I got a career now, and I don't want to let it fall apart."

"You know what, go ahead." Danny gave Ember a crooked grin. "So long as you don't try taking over the world or anything, the portal's all yours."

"Bitchin'." Ember grinned back at Danny.

The two of them sat there for a while staring out at the empty arena and enjoying the quiet company. Finally the ghostly rocker got to her feet. Danny stood up a moment later. They stared at each silently for a few moments before catching each other's eyes and awkwardly looking away.

"I should probably go before my manager puts out an APB for me," Ember said as she slung guitar onto her back.

Danny sighed. "And I have a report to finish up for Lancer. You know, for someone who was trying to kill me, you're not the worst person to hang out with."

"I could say the same." Ember glanced at the ceiling and began to float away before turning back to face Danny. "Okay, it's been bugging me for a while, but I have to ask, why Klemper?

"Payback for the love spell."

Ember snorted a laugh. "Nice. Guess we got more in common than I though. Practice some more and maybe next time my tour comes round you'll be good enough to play back-up."

"Hey!"

"See ya round dipstick!" Danny stared at Ember in a mixture of indignation and amusement as she laughed and disappeared into the sky.

It was only once he was sure he was alone that it struck Danny just how much more complicated he'd probably made his life.


	2. Two

In the still of the night I hear the wolf howl, honey, sniffing around your door  
In the still of the night I feel my heart beating heavy, telling me I gotta have more

Wasn't sure I'd be back, but hey, here's more.

 **Two**

Yep, Jazz was still out front talking to her new 'boyfriend'. Danny shook his head and stepped away from the front door. He made it all the way up the stairs to his room before he finally let his emotions out as he slammed his door closed behind him.

"Agh!" He punched the wall next to the door then cradled his hand. He leaned his forehead against the door and sighed.

"Jeez, take a chill pill why don't ya."

Danny froze. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He opened them after a few seconds, paused, and grit his teeth. Nope, still not calmed down. He turned his head so slowly he could have sworn he heard his neck creak.

Ember tossed him a cheerful wave as she reclined on his bed. The corner of Danny's mouth started to twitch and he opened and closed his hand while considering how hard it would be to wrap them around her throat.

"Ember," Danny said softly," you're in my room."

Ember turned her head then stared at Danny with wide eyes. "Huh, would you look at that, I am too. Killer observation there."

Danny closed his eyes as he brought up a hand to massage the bridge of his nose. "Again, why are you in _my_ room?

"Just following up on our deal. Yaknow, su casa es mi casa?"

"That's not how that works! I said you could use the portal, not invade the privacy of my bedroom!"

"Careful there babypop." Ember leaned back at Danny's outburst and eyed the closed door. "Don't wanna bring your old man runnin', do ya?"

"Please," Danny said, a smug grin playing briefly across his lips, "my parents soundproofed the whole building from top to bottom. It's not perfect, really it only works as long as you keep the doors closed, but they're probably too busy resecuring the Fenton Portal to pay attention to me."

"Resecuring it?"

"Yeah..." Danny grit his teeth and worked his jaw silently for a few moments. "Probably adding a proximity sensor after... Anyway, don't worry about your access, you should be fine once I have some time to mess around with it."

"Thanks, kid, I appreciate it."

"Kid, come on," Danny said as he rolled his eyes. "You don't have room to call me that. You're what, sixteen, seventeen? "

"Something like that. So," Ember tilted her head at him, "what's got you spazzing out?"

Danny closed his eyes again as he raised his hands and started to tick off his fingers."Well, let's see, I've been awake for more than thirty-six hours now, all the ghosts I caught managed to get loose, yet again, I think I slept through another test or two at school, oh, and my sister's got herself a new 'boyfriend, who I'm pretty sure she's making kissy faces with out front right now," Danny said darkly. "None of which I'd have to deal with if wasn't for that stupid bad luck ghost."

"Bad luck... wait," Ember turned and floated over to the window. She stuck her head out and looked around before her body froze. A moment later she leaned back inside and dropped to the floor with her back to the window, laughing her head off. "Oh my god, _Johnny's_ dating your sister! Kitty's gonna _murder_ him when she finds out!"

Danny blinked at her then rubbed at his forehead with the palm of his hand. "You know him? Of course you know him..."

Ember's laughter dwindled into soft chuckles as she floated back onto Danny's bed. "Nah, I know his girl, Kitty way better. That's why I was laughing. Seriously, you know when they say marriage is a ball and chain? Kitty is Johnny's ball, and she busts his if he so much as looks at another chick. Which is, you know, like every five minutes?"

Danny rolled his eyes as he walked over and sat at the chair next to his desk. "Sounds like a real nice guy. I'm surprised he has a steady girlfriend if he's such a player."

"Not that surprising." Ember shrugged."He's not as smooth as he thinks. Plus pickings for girls like me an' Kitty are pretty slim you know? "

"You're kidding, right?" Danny gave her an incredulous look. "I mean look at you, you're smart, funny, and a rockstar! Who wouldn't want to date you?"

Danny gave Ember a curious look as she turned her head away for a moment. He was worried for a moment that he might have offended her somehow, he'd never really understood girls that well and Sam didn't count, but she turned back with a soft smile. "Heh. Thanks babypop, but I think the whole ghost-thing is kinda the deal breaker. Sides, I think they've stuck this long because Kitty's the only one willing to actually follow through and sleep with him."

Danny blinked then slapped a hand over his face. "Definition of too much info, right there."

"Aw, did I injure your innocent sensibilities?"

Danny separated his fingers and peered at her through the resulting gap. "One, no you didn't; two, 'innocent sensibilities'?"

"What, I read." Ember huffed and looked towards the window. "It gets boring floating around the ghost zone all the time. It's better now that I can get out though." She paused before giving Danny a smile. He blinked at the surprising warmth in her expression. "Thanks for that. You really have no idea what that means to me."

Danny scratched the back of his neck and studied his feet. "Like I said, so long as you don't cause any trouble, the portal's all yours."

Ember let the moment hang between them before snorting and shaking her head. "Enough sappy talk. You been practicing?"

"Sure. I'm not in the mood for playing though." Danny dropped his head down onto the chair's backrest. "Why couldn't their relationship have them singing about shattered dreams."

Ember stared at him blankly. "Okay, what?"

A tremor ran through Danny's body but he didn't look up. "Shattered dreams, you know, by Johnny..."

Ember let out a snort that quickly turned into outright laughter, Danny joining her a moment later. "That's a horrible joke," she said between breaths. "Seriously dipstick, that sucked."

"It's not like anyone else would have gotten it."

The two teens sat for a while "Well, that's enough sharing about feelings for one day." Ember rolled her shoulders before crossing the room and opening the window. "Word of advice, John boy's shadow is like any other, shine a bright enough light on it and good night."

"Tha—" Danny started, only to stop as Ember escaped into the night air before he could finish. He shook his head as he got up and walked over to close the window. He took a look outside but she was long gone. "Thanks."

"-then my folks come out and congratulate me like I won a medal or something. It was kinda weird."

Jazz paused with her hand raised over Danny's door as the sound of laughter — a _girl's_ laughter — made it through the wood. She wouldn't have been surprised if Danny had his friends over to celebrate with him, but the laughter... It wasn't Sam's, it was too... Happy, for lack of a better word.

"Nice. Course now Johnny's gonna be insufferable for who knows how long. Thanks for that dipstick."

Jazz eased the door open. Was that her guitar? She was wondering where it had gotten to, and there it was sitting on her brother's legs, while Danny leaned back and laughed. And looking like she'd stepped out of a magazine cover, Ember McLain lay on his bed, her head propped up on her hands, a wide smile on her face as she joked with Jazz's brother.

"Yeah, well next time you see him, remind him to stay well away from my family, just in case he didn't hear me the first time." Danny frowned and shook his head. "Otherwise I'll do worse than just sucking him into my thermos."

Jazz's brain screeched to halt and it was only due to her body locking up that she didn't fall into Danny's room. Ember was a ghost, that much she had gathered from overheard conversations between Danny and his friends, well, eavesdropped conversations to be honest, but there she was, without a care in the world.

And Danny was just sitting there!

"Sure thing." Ember rolled over onto her back and let her head hang off the edge of the bed. "You feeling up to playing for me this time round?""

"Maybe," Danny shot back with a smirk - a smirk! From her brother of all people! "Depends on what you want, I'm not really feeling like anything too loud, don't want to wake my folks, yaknow?"

"Thought you said this place was soundproofed?"

"It is, except Johnny's shadow busted my parent's door down."

"So play me something softer then." Ember tried to shrug but her position caused it to only push her breasts together and up. Jazz felt like slapping a hand over her face, or Danny's, when he didn't seem to notice. He closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair, humming softly, his hand

 _When I was a child, I heard voices...  
_ _Some would sing and some would scream  
_ _You soon find you have few choices...  
_ _I learned the voices died with me_

 _When I was a child, I'd sit for hours  
_ _Staring into open flame  
_ _Something in it had a power,  
_ _Could barely tear my eyes away_

 _All you have is your fire...  
_ _And the place you need to reach -  
_ _Don't you ever tame your demons  
_ _But always keep 'em on a leash_

Wow. Jazz shook her head. Who knew her brother could be so smooth? Poor Sam... who could have seen this coming? She could interrupt, but even just watching didn't feel right. The look in Ember's eyes, the look in _Danny's_... No, she wouldn't interrupt.

Jazz quietly closed the door and walked back to her own room. Danny wouldn't have let a ghost into his room if he wasn't confident that he wouldn't be attacked, of that she was sure. She'd let him have tonight, he'd earned it. He knew what he was he was doing.

She hoped.

 _When I was 16, my senses fooled me  
_ _Thought gasoline was on my clothes  
_ _I knew that something would always rule me...  
_ _I knew the scent was mine alone_

 _All you have is your fire  
_ _And the place you need to reach  
_ _Don't you ever tame your demons  
_ _But always keep 'em on a leash_

The sound of Jazz's door clicking closed was covered up by a soft sigh. A moment later Jack and Maddie retreated from the edge of their door back to their bed. Silent, they slipped back under the covers and stared out into the hallway.

"Should we do something?" Jack asked with an unusually pensive expression. "I mean Danny does have a girl in his room."

"I don't know. \" Maddie couldn't help the proud smile on her face as she listened to the music flowing out of her son's room. "When was the last time you heard Danny sing like that? I think we can give him a pass this once, don't you?"

Jack sighed and looked forlornly at his hands. "But what about the bat?"

"Dear..." Maddie shook her head as she leaned against her husband.

"Oh alright. But they better not get up to any funny business. And she better leave before midnight!"Jack smacked a fist into his palm. "And the lights had better stay on!"

Maddie reached up and gave Jack's shoulder a pat. "Of course. Besides, knowing our Danny, he's probably as oblivious as you were."

Jack nodded as though Maddie's words were sage advice."That's right." He blinked a couple times as his mind made the connection."Hey!"

 _When I was a man I thought it ended  
_ _When I knew love's perfect ache  
_ _But my peace has always depended  
_ _On all the ashes in my wake_

Unaware of the world outside his room, Danny played on, as Ember's hair twisted and twirled in the air above his bed.

 _All you have is your fire,  
_ _And the place you need to reach  
_ _Don't you ever tame your demons,  
_ _But always keep 'em on a leash..._


End file.
